maybe i just wanna be yours
by snogfairy
Summary: Natsu Dragneel is the lead singer of a rock band that remained fairly unknown until one day, a mysterious blonde walked into the pub and changed everything. And now she is back. [Nalu Band AU]
1. Chapter 1

_Before you ask: YES, the title and fic itself are strongly inspired by the Arctic Monkeys and if you wanna picture Natsu and Co. and their music then just imagine them as the Arctic Monkeys ok no shame. x)_

_I suddenly had this urge to write it so, well, I did. Don't worry I didn't forget the Tails&amp;Talons AU either ^-^ I just posted Chapter 16 on tumblr! Gonna update it on here soon too._

_This is a two-parter. :3 I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Being back at The Fairy's Tail felt nostalgic.

This was where it had all started. The neighbourhood pub around the corner.

Natsu Dragneel inhaled the stale air that lingered in the whole building; the result of years of spilled beer and cigarette smoke. It was like any other old pub, but it was _his_ old pub. It felt good to be back.

"Yo, Salamander, you gonna stand there forever or ya actually gonna help us with the setup?"

"Yeah, yeah, shut up."

Reluctantly, Natsu turned his back and walked back out to the van, where Loke promptly dumped a drumset into his hands. As he carried it back inside, the sun left his skin again, and he couldn't help but remember the times they had played here in this gloomy yet comfy place.

The last time he had seen _her_.

The blonde mystery girl.

A year had passed since that day.

And even longer since the day he'd seen her for the first time.

He knew it was an irrational hope, but he couldn't help but wish for it anyways. For her to be here again. After all, he'd have to thank her.

It had been an exceptionally rainy Tuesday night. He remembered it vividly, because it kept haunting him to this day. They'd gotten ready to play like they always did, the usual soundchecks, some fooling around. None knew that this would be the night when things would begin to change.

They weren't a successful band. They weren't bad either. All four of them loved what they did, passionately so. But it had never been enough for more than the regular gigs in The Fairy's Tail, twice a week.

Still, they persisted, and believed in their dream.

After all, it was what had gotten them out of the home for troubled youths, where they all had met after being handed from orphanage to orphanage. How they had managed to form a band was a mystery to all of them to this day. After all, Natsu and Gray couldn't be in the same room for more than ten minutes without starting a brawl, Gajeel claimed he hated everyone's guts and Loke seemed more interested in getting the ladies than anything else.

But something was different when they played together. Their troubles disappeared with every note, every riff, and their arguments got carried away by the continuous beat of the drums. It was a kind of magic, one they created all by themselves. Together.

Still. something was missing. That special _something_ that never came with practice, that couldn't be forced. No matter how hard they tried, they could feel it. The lack of the one true magic.

If only they knew what it was.

But Natsu had found out all too soon, and now he sometimes wished he never had. Maybe then his heart wouldn't constantly crave something it could not obtain.

The day he had spotted her inbetween the crowd, the world had stopped spinning for an infinite moment. Her blonde hair had glowed in the spotlight as she very gently swayed with the music, much calmer than the people around her. She'd been wearing a bland grey sweater with a hoodie, blending in with her surroundings, almost disappearing. But it had been her eyes that had caught his attention even before her obvious beauty.

They shone with such fascination and ardour, Natsu had been unable to tear his gaze off her. Then they had moved upwards to meet his, and she blinked in shock before turning her head, letting her hair fall across her face like a curtain.

His interest had been piqued.

And from then on, she always came back.

And he couldn't get her out of his mind.

He started scribbling lines that popped into his head when he thought of the curve of her lips or her dark lashes, of her breasts and her waist and her smile.

And then, one day, he wrote the first song.

_…and her lips are like the galaxy's edge  
and her kiss the colour of a constellation falling into place…_

His friends had regarded him with suspicion when he had presented the lyrics, was it not entirely different from anything he had written before. But he had gone as far as to _ask_ them, without a single punch being thrown, to include it in the next gig - and it had been received amazingly.

It turned into their biggest success, people asking for them to play it again and again, and the boys had allowed Natsu to write more about the girl he wouldn't talk about to anyone.

As their popularity grew, The Flaming Morons got asked to play for different pubs and bars in the area, but to their big surprise - and great dismay - Natsu outright refused to play anywhere but The Fairy's Tail.

Worst thing was, he hadn't even spoken to her. Not once.

One time he had tried, collecting his courage and preparing to possibly see his perfect dream destroyed in front of his eyes, but as he tried to push his way through the crowd, she was already headed for the entrance, and when he reached it, she had disappeared.

And so he chose to let her be his mystery girl, in fear of finding out she was not who he imagined her to be. His music came easy, his words flowed, and he was not ready to risk any of it.

They were living their dream.

And she was there to witness it.

That thought alone was enough for the time being.

One day he would talk to her.

She always came back - until she didn't.

Just like that, from one day to the other, there was no blonde hair, no gentle swaying or dreamy eyes. His girl - his muse - vanished.

First, he kept waiting patiently, but as the days turned to weeks and there was still no sign of her returning, the knot in his heart tightened.

Maybe he had missed his chance after all.

But rockstars didn't pine after a girl, did they?

And so he finally agreed to leave their pub behind in pursuit of something bigger.

Oh, and they found it.

Their audiences grew, and they found themselves in pubs less and less, for the fans were too many to fit into a small room. They played their songs, the songs he had written about _her_, for all the world to hear.

_…and if she wants to take shelter from reality  
she takes a dip in my daydreams_ …

He didn't mind, offering his heart like that.

She didn't know anyway.

And all the others, the ones that kept coming to him after the shows to scream and whisper and giggle and _snatch_ him, the ones that thought the words were for_ them_ -they didn't know either.

And he turned them all away.

More than once, Loke clutched his hand over his heart while two girls clung to an arm on either side of him, rolling his eyes at Natsu. Gray raised his brows, and Gajeel - Gajeel remained silent.

And so they had went on.

Natsu loved the spotlight, loved the rush of adrenaline whenever they stepped on stage and the crowd started cheering and screaming, loved to carry their music out into the world.

Sometimes he'd use his beloved Fire Dragon guitar to accompany Loke, sometimes he concentrated on his voice and the lyrics only, while Gajeel's steady beats and Gray's bass steadily vibrated through them all.

None of them wanted this to end.

And from the looks of it, they had nothing to fear for the time being.

It had been Loke's idea to pay their old pub a visit under the cover of another name, and they all had gladly agreed. Weirdly enough, Natsu had been the most reluctant of them all, ignoring his bandmates' sleezy comments and mischievous quibs.

But here they were.

So much had changed in their lives, but the pub remained the same.

"And now for a small surprise! We have some old friends here with us tonight." Old Makarov called, beer in hand. "Most of you might know them by now. I guess I should say it's an honour to have them here with us in this rotten little pub today, but I won't. Because to me, they'll always be rude brats. Their name says it all. Welcome The Flaming Morons!"

The crowd had broken into laughter at his words, but now started cheering enthusiastically.

Natsu grinned as they took the stage, rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt and recalling the creation of their genius bandname.

They had been brainstorming in the dorm he and Gajeel had shared, at their wit's end and still without a name everybody would agree on.

_"I said," Natsu repeated for the fifth time. "We're THE SUPERDRAGONS!"_

_"Over my dead body!" Gray hissed. "We need something cool, something like Arctic… uh… Polarbears!"_

_"That's the poorest thing I ever heard!"_

_Loke and Gajeel rolled their eyes in unison at the arguing pair. They had long given up with their own suggestions, for they had been stomped into the ground. Beside them, the argument threatened to escalate into a physical fight._

_"THEN WE COULD ASWELL PLAY AS THE FLAMING MORONS CAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE!"_

_"OK YOU KNOW WHAT - WE MIGHT JUST!"_

_"I DARE YOU!"_

_"CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!"_

It had been supposed to be a one time thing, but for some reason they had never gotten rid of the name ever again (much to Gray's joy). The people liked it, and Natsu carried the name with pride, owning up to it as best as he could.

The strap of his Fire Dragon around his right shoulder, Natsu reached for the microphone stand, eyes scanning the crowd.

"Been a long time, The Fairy's Tail! It feels good to be back. I'm not gonna beat around the bush for hours, aye? This one is a new song, just for you guys. It's called 777."

As the people applauded, he struck the first chords, and the others joined in like parts of a perfectly manifactured clock, coming together without fail.

_I'd probably still adore you with your hands around my neck  
Or I did last time I checked…_

And then, just as the words that had felt so heavy and melancholic to write left his lips, he saw her.


	2. Chapter 2

_And here, as promised, the second and last part!^-^_

_So if the other one was the sorta prequel with no actual nalu interaction, then this is the main part that will make more than up for it. x)_

_I hope you enjoyed this little story!:) If you liked it, please review okay? Thanks! ^o^_

* * *

Natsu could have sworn the whole room fell silent when his eyes met hers. No music, no murmurs, not even his own voice. His heart forgot to beat.

The world shifted for an instant, almost losing its gravity and falling out of orbit.

The moment was over in the blink of an eye, but it left him almost shocked.

Then his heartbeat resumed, stronger than before, and sound came crashing back in.

_Maybe I'm too busy being lost to fall for somebody new  
Now I thought it through - crawling back to you.  
Do I wanna know if this feeling flows both ways?  
It's hard to see you go - was sorta hoping that you'd stay…_

This time, she did not look away like she had all the times before, so long ago now. No, she held his gaze, eyes wide and surprised, but softening with his words. He was mesmerized.

She looked different. Not only her face, which was even more beautiful than he remembered, but her whole appearance, her whole aura, had changed.

Her long hair was tied in a high side ponytail, and the grey sweater of old days had disappeared in favour of a tight, red t-shirt. And her skirt was so short that Natsu almost forgot his own lyrics for a second.

Dear dragons, she looked breathtakingly hot.

A blush spread across her cheeks as she realized his eyes were on her body, and he licked his lips, quickly tearing his gaze off her cleavage. He kept singing, trying to concentrate on the crowd as a whole, but no matter what he did, sooner or later he would always find his way back to her bright eyes.

When he caught them now, the ghost of a smile flitted across her face.

_So in case I'm mistaken, I -  
just wanna hear you say oh god my baby are you mine?_

A shiver travelled down his spine as their eyes burned into each other. Hers were all soft - caramell and honey - but still so intense. It felt like she could see into his very soul.

Maybe she would see how all those songs had been fueled by one desire alone: her.

Did she know? He wanted her to.

He _had _to talk to her. Tell her.

Natsu would not let her slip away. Not this time.

He had missed too many of his chances.

Sweat glistening on his face, Natsu grinned as the decision stood so clear in front of him now, and he threw himself into his performance once again, moving with the music and closing his eyes as his voice rose for the chorus.

It was funny: never before had a performance felt so longsome, never before had he been impatient for it to be over, and never before had he enjoyed every second of it so immensely.

The usual rush of adrenaline was there, his love for what he was doing too, but there was _something_ else driving him on, something pulling at him deep inside, spurring his soul on and on.

He never wanted it to end.

And still, when the last notes faded away in the hot and sticky air, he felt relief, immediately seeking out his girl amongst the people. She was standing where she had the whole time, sweating and panting like the people around her.

She looked so much more _alive_ than last year. So much happier.

The melancholic expression she had always worn had vanished.

It made him strangely happy, but at the same time he found himself wondering what was the cause for the change. Another man…?

He shook his head, concentrating on the cheers and applause of the audience. It was none of his bussiness.

What was his bussiness, however, was the voice suddenly sounding through the room.

"Yer think the performance is over? You ain't seen nothing yet! Black Steel is here for one last solo!"

The crowd watched how the band's faces first turned to stone and then melted right off - everyone's except the drummer's who had just spoken. He was standing up behind his drumset, making his way to the side of the stage, where he grabbed a black guitar. Loke facepalmed. Gray hissed:

"You gotta be fucking kidding me!"

Natsu just laughed, patting his friend's back as he walked up beside him.

"As an exception," he grinned, and then turned to the surprised audience once again. They seemed a little confused, but clapped anyways.

The poor souls had no idea what was coming for them.

"This one is for Levy!" Gajeel roared.

With one last tap at the microphone, Natsu murmured:

"I apologize in advance."

He received an elbow to the rib for that, but his grin only grew and he cackled as he left the stage, ignoring the outraged calls of their bassist.

This was the perfect opportunity. To get away while the audience was distracted (by the possibly worst singing voice in existence) - and to find her.

The main room was stuffed, but when he left the stage and stepped into the narrow corridor, he could move easily. The air here was a little cooler too, due to the entrance door swinging open and closed from time to time, letting pass new guests or smokers or anyone at all who desired to enter or leave.

But as soon as he was back in the bar room, the thick air hit him like a wall, and people pushed past him left and right. Some recognized him and patted his shoulder or attempted to start a conversation, but apart from Gajeel's horribly loud and wonky voice making it nearly impossible anyways, Natsu had no interest in stopping for a chat.

His eyes searched the faces around him as he made his way to the spot he had last seen her.

He found her a few feet further to the right, where she stood against the wall. It seemed she was alone, at least for the time being. Breathing heavily, he walked the remaining steps that separated them.

This was it.

A little surprised, she jumped, but a friendly smile adorned her face as she turned around. When she recognized him, her eyes widened. He grinned.

She looked a little shocked, lost even, but not as awestruck or overjoyed like he was used to from some other fans.

"Hi," he smiled, extending a hand. "I'm Natsu."

"I, uh, I know who you are. Obviously."

As she took his hand and watched his self-confident smirk turn into a sheepish grin, a smile spread across her own face. He sleeked back his unruly hair with his left, and she watched the motion intently.

"Lucy."

Finally. After all this time, he _finally_ knew her name. And what a beautiful one it was. He could write many songs with a name like that. Even her voice sounded like his music had turned to life, giving the vague woman in his dreams more substance.

His hand moved to her wrist, and as his fingers closed around it and pressed against her hot skin, he couldn't help but feel elated - as if he had just found his place in the world.

Carefully, he watched her reaction. She was looking at their hands in surprise, cocking her head and finding his eyes with a brow raised slightly in question.

"Come on!" he called as he began leading her through the masses, and she followed without a single complaint. He hoped she didn't feel like he was forcing her, and kept his grip as loose as possible. But soon she was walking beside him, and he glanced over to find her smiling. He returned her expression manifold as they pushed through the pubcrawlers side by side.

When they finally made it out into the corridor, they were both laughing, almost banging against the wall from the effort they had summoned to push past a rather corpulent old man close to the doorway.

They were grinning at each other now, feeling weirdly comfortable even though they had barely met. Natsu _liked _this girl.

It was such a simple sentiment, but it was bigger than any complicated words he could have come up with. He felt at ease.

And he felt more and more sure that she would not disappoint his fantasies. If anything, she would exceed them - because she was _real_, she was his girl, she was the person he would model his songs to even if it meant he had to change them all.

The corridor seemed longer than before as he lead her to the end of it, where the door to the stage was located. It was closed now, and the sounds were a little more muffled - but still loud enough to almost drown out any word he would say. The ground vibrated.

When he came to a halt, she almost bumped into him, and he watched her cheeks burn up.

Weird. When other girls had looked at him like this, he had never cared.

Of course, he knew he was attractive. Even if he didn't, he'd been told so many times that he could have hardly doubted it. But nobody's reactions to his appearance or touch had ever _mattered_.

Now, he felt warmth creep into his own cheeks.

Slowly, he loosened his grip on her wrist, letting her hand slip from his.

"Lucy. Wanna go where we can talk?" he called, nodding over to a door decorated with graffiti and the word _private_stamped onto it in capital letters.

Hell, he must seem like such a creep right now.

For a moment, she hesitated, but while she inspected his face with a concentrated pout of her lips (that immediately made him want to loosen them with his own),he hoped she could see the honest feelings in his eyes. A relieved smile spread across his face when she nodded.

Inside the room that they used to store some of their belongings, it finally was quiet enough to be able to hold a normal conversation. Lucy slipped onto the table in the middle of the room, dangling her legs and exhaling deeply.

From the leather jacket on the table, Natsu produced a pack of cigarettes, lighting one for himself and then offering them to her. She declined.

A proper one, was she? Natsu smirked with the cigarette tugged between his lips. Figured. Of course he'd fall for someone who at least stood a chance of balancing out his crazy.

And only he would manage to actually _fall_ for someone he had only ever _seen_.

The silence that filled the room was comfortable, but Natsu quickly grew tired of it nonetheless. She watched him puff out the smoke.

"Sorry," he began. "I just really wanted to talk to you. Don't want you to think I just dragged you here to, uh, you know - I don't do that."

Her eyebrows rose, an amused twinkle to her eyes. She tapped the handbad she carried.

"Don't worry, I got pepperspray with me. Are you always so eloquent off stage?"

His jaw dropped. He found himself to be delighfully surprised by her cheekiness. An impish grin that matched her own spread across his face.

"Sure am. That's why all the girls worship the ground I'm walking on."

In hindsight, he probably shouldn't have said that.

But to his relief, the grin remained plastered to her features.

"So that's how you get them all, huh? Do you say these things to every girl you meet?"

"What, no! I told you I don't do that stuff! Really! You're - special!"

She chuckled, shaking her head from side to side. He watched how her golden hair cascaded down over her right shoulder. It was obvious she didn't believe him - and well, he couldn't blame her, really.

He sounded so stupid. _Special_ \- could he have picked a more clichéd word?

She was right, apparently. He wasn't as good with words if he had no time to think about them. Or maybe it was just the way she was looking at him with those chocolate eyes of hers.

Well, then he would have to show her. It was what he did best anyways.

But before he could summon his usual self-confidence, she shifted, looking at him with a suddenly serious expression.

"Um. Natsu. Can I tell you something?"

He loved the way his name sounded on her lips. His nod signaled her to keep going.

"This may sound weird, but I… wanted to thank you."

Natsu's eyes widened. Wasn't that what he had wanted to do too? It had slipped him somewhere along the way.

"Thank me?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "For your music."

It was not the first time Natsu heard these words. A lot of people had thanked him and his friends for what they did, and it made his heart swell with pride and joy every time. He wanted to know her story, too.

"Why?" he asked, voice deep and soft. His eyes shone with honest curiosity.

She seemed nervous now, and he knew what she would share with him would be heartfelt, and personal. He sat down on the table beside her, careful to keep his distance.

"That girl you always sing about… I wanted to be like her."

Natsu's eyes widened, but she didn't notice. Her eyes were fixed on her hands.

"So I guess… in a way, your music gave me the strength to finally run away from my father. You probably don't remember this, but I always came to listen to you guys. I had to sneak out every week…"

A nostalgic smile ghosted across her face as she recalled the memories, still unaware of his expression.

"I know."

Her head snapped upwards, startled by his voice disrupting her daydream and the momentary silence.

"What?"

"I know you came all the time. I saw you."

"Oh!"

Her cheeks burned up, and he watched her parted lips struggle as she tried to add something to her surprised gasp. But it seemed like she didn't know what to say, because she closed them again without another word, eyes still fixed on his.

The need to tell her everything burned inside his stomach, trying to claw its way out. He wasn't sure how long he could keep it in, but he didn't want to ruin it by scaring her away. You couldn't just confess your probably-love to a girl you had barely just met and tell her she had been the object of your dreams, desires and aspirations for the past two years.

Or maybe you could.

To hell with it.

"Those songs are about you." he blurted out.

Confusion claimed her face. and she scrunched up her brows as she tried to wrap her mind around his words. Then realization settled in, and she looked almost hurt.

"Don't say such silly things so easily…"

"It's true."

"How can it be true?" Her eyes were full of doubt, and a hint of that sadness he remembered. She looked down at the table, tracing an invisible pattern onto it with her index finger. The tip was dirty when she raised it again.

"It's true," he said. "because I started writing them after I saw you. In this pub. You were always wearing really casual stuff, and that grey sweater. You came every friday, and I always looked for you. I couldn't get you out of my mind." He shrugged. "So I started writing about you. I don't just remember you - I never _stopped_ thinking about you. I wasn't lying when I said you were special. If you don't believe me anything, then at least believe that. Fuck, this sounds really creepy, huh?"

Her mouth was open, eyes disbelieving even as she looked hopeful, in a way. She _wanted_ to believe him. And her resistance was crumbling.

"Yeah," she smiled. "Really creepy."

Then her expression changed.

"I thought those were just coincidences… when you looked at me." she whispered. "But why would you… I mean, I was nothing special back then. I didn't _want_ to be noticed."

He shrugged again.

"I don't know. All I know is that I want you. I wanted you ever since I saw you standing there. And there is no way I could not have noticed you."

She swallowed, the blush returning to her cheeks.

If he had thought the things she could do to him simply by existing somewhere far away were bad, then he did not know what the _hell_ he was feeling right now, with her so close to him. It was incredible, what she did to his heart.

A magnetic pull emanated from her, as if she had turned into the center of his gravity. Maybe she had - maybe that ahd been the weird sensation earlier.

He had been starving for this girl for so long.

And now she was feeding his flame, and it had never burned brighter.

Natsu licked his lips as he turned to her. Somewhere along the way, the space between them had grown smaller and smaller. Their thighs were touching.

The blonde staring up at him was no longer just _his girl_ \- a hope and fantasy - but she was Lucy. And Lucy was far better than anything he could have come up with. But at the same time she fulfilled every single one of his dreams.

Natsu had a feeling he wouldn't have to change any of his songs. They fit her perfectly - whether by coincidence or something else, he could not be sure. But he felt it was the latter.

She was beautiful and clever, witty, self-confident yet easily flustered - and he could picture her walking around his house in nothing but his shirt and her knee socks now better than ever.

Maybe that was the one true magic after all. Maybe what he was feeling was magic. Maybe it had brought them together here in this smoky old room.

He leaned in closer.

"Really, I swear I don't always do this," he mumbled once again, voice hoarse.

Her cheeks were so hot he could feel the heat turning his own skin into fire as their noses gently bumped together, but she still managed a soft giggle and a hum of _i don't care_ before there was no more distance between them.

His hand moved to her cheek as he nipped on her lips, memorizing their fullness, their depth and warmth. The kiss was soft and slow, but it turned the blood in his veins to pure fire, burning up every part of his body until he stood ablaze and pulled her closer.

He was sure now. It was magic.

Her hand rested on his right thigh, and she grabbed tighter as their knees bumped together. Her left moved to his neck, sending a cascade of shivers through his body.

When they broke the kiss for just a second to gasp for breath, the slick sound of wet lips parting echoed through the small room. Panting, they looked at each other before Lucy moved upwards again, capturing his lips with hers.

They became needy; hungry.

Natsu had never felt such things.

He had never even dared to hope he would see her again, let alone kiss her.

Coming back to the Fairy's Tail had been the best decision of his life, even if this would be the only moment they ever shared. He would be content.

It was more than he could have asked for.

All he needed to know was that his songs, the ones Lucy hadn't known had been about _her _from the start, had inspired her, given her strength to fulfill her dreams and be the person she wanted to be - the person he had seen in her all along.

They had inspired each other without ever knowing.

If that was not enough then he didn't know what was.

There were things he didn't know: that she would take him home with her, that they would have bacon and coffee for breakfast, that they would spend the next days in each other's constant company - that she would forever be a part of his life.

But he didn't need to know that.

All that mattered was this very moment, and her lips on his.

_Secrets I have held in my heart  
Are harder to hide than I thought  
Maybe I just wanna be yours…_

_I wanna be yours._


End file.
